Order: Siphonophora (bluebottles and other floaters)
Life >
Eukaryotes
>
Opisthokonta >
Metazoa
(animals) > Cnidaria > Hydrozoa
Physalia
(Bluebottle,
Portuguese man-of-war) Bluebottles float around in the ocean and are
notorious for their long tentacles (up to 10 m long) that sting people
swimming in the water. Each bluebottle consists of a colony of individuals
that function together as a single integrated animal. |
![Physalia (Portuguese man-of-war) [Photo H. Robertson, Iziko]](../../images/hgr-dc05439s.jpg) |
Porpita (Raft hydroid) Has a round, flat gas-filled float. Harmless to
people. |
|
Velella (By-the-wind sailor) The float carries a vertical piece of tissue
that functions as a sail. |
|
Text by Hamish Robertson
|